Mummies Alive

Was he a mythic gunslinging outlaw or a destitute thieving loner? No one knows the true story of Sylvester, the petrified cowboy that now resides at a curiosity shop in Seattle. But one thing is for certain: he is one miraculously preserved mummy. Through hands-on experimentation and contributions from experts in embalming, ballistics, and the history of the American West, we explore the life and death of the man who became a legend, and learn more about the cowboys, con men, and sideshows that played a part in his incredible story.

The investigation into the life and death of a 2,400-year-old mummy, found in a peat field near the center of Ireland, is underway. But for every answer unearthed, new questions arise. Who was he? A farmer? A warrior? A druid? How did he die? Was he killed, and if so, by whom? Join archaeologists and a forensic pathologist as they explore an ancient cold case involving Iron Age kings, human sacrifices, and a signature wound that helped solve the crime.

In September 1991, two hikers exploring the tztal Alps discovered a corpse buried in the ice. When rescue teams collected the evidence, it became clear that these were not the unfortunate remains of a modern climber, but of a 5,300-year-old iceman. Who was this man? What was he doing so high in the mountains? How did he die and who, or what, killed him? Follow the investigation as scientists pull clues from one of the oldest preserved corpses on the planet and reveal the secrets of his life and the enigmatic Neolithic period he came from.

One of the mummies inside the Cairo Museum's Royal Mummy Room is not like the others. Among the meticulously preserved remains of Egyptian pharaohs and queens lies the corpse of Seqenenre Tao, whose mummification was hurried and incomplete. His face is brutally injured and his hands are horribly contorted. Who was this man, and what on earth happened to him? We use modern forensic techniques to examine this 3,000-year-old forgotten pharaoh and reveal the probable cause of his death.

She is considered to be one of the best-preserved mummies in the world, a 500-year-old Inca girl known as "The Maiden." Her incredible lifelike appearance is matched only by the incredible mysteries surrounding her. Who was she? What was she doing at the peak of the world's tallest active volcano, where her body was found? How exactly did she die? Take part in a virtual autopsy, as we use cutting edge equipment and techniques to unravel the details about her life, the cause of her unnatural death, and the dark secrets about her lost civilization.

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius wreaked havoc on the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum 2,000 years ago, burying them in ash. But there's a forgotten chapter to this tragedy, involving a mass grave of 300 men, women, and children, unearthed in a Herculaneum boathouse in 1982. Found among the corpses: the mummified remains of a man, separated from the others, armed to the teeth and carrying a cache of gold and silver. Was he a hero or a villain? Scientists look for clues in the ancient city and on the body itself.